Unparalleled Evildoer

Chapter 230: Baiyue Land
South of the Wuling Mountains is the land of the Baiyue in southern Xinjiang, a place with high temperatures and heavy rains, continuous towering mountains, crisscrossing fast-flowing rivers, numerous jungles and swamps, and dense miasma and poisonous insects. When you get here, you will understand why only 200,000 of the 500,000 Qin troops were left, because it was not the enemy that killed them, but the harsh environment.

The luxury ships sail into the Li River through a canal, which was artificially dug. It starts from the Xiang River, bypasses dangerous peaks, and leads to the Li River, connecting the north and the south. It was ingeniously conceived and constructed with difficulty and speed. It can be said to be a great project in human history.

This boat is Mr. Li's luxury boat. It has eight wheels on each side of the boat. It can also be pulled by horses and travel on the official road. The cabin is spacious and bright. Everything that is found in a mansion is also found in the boat. This luxury boat is like a two-story building. Mr. Li is the only one in the world who has such a boat.

Shi Lu, the inspector who was supervising the excavation, was on board this magnificent ship at this time. Shi Lu was dressed in official uniform and had a ruddy face. He sat next to Mr. Li in the seat of honor. On the other side were the famous generals Ren Xiong and Zhao Tuo. Cui Hongtao, who had become the grain transport officer of the Qin Dynasty, sat in the second seat with the other deputy generals.

Shi Lu laughed out loud and said, "Sir, this ship is so exquisitely designed that it really opened my eyes. I am so lucky to be able to ride on this magnificent ship today. I am so lucky!"

Mr. Li replied, "I am vulgar and greedy for pleasure, which makes you laugh. But Mr. Shi opened the Lingqu Canal, connecting the two rivers, benefiting the people and making immortal achievements, which makes me admire him."

Ren Xiao said, "Sir, you are right. The Lingqu Canal is now open to navigation, so that food and grass can be transported by land and water and arrive in time, solving the worries of our Qin army. It is just around the corner to take the land of Baiyue. My great Qin has unified the world, and you have made an indelible contribution."

Shi Lu said modestly: "You are too kind. I am only following your Majesty's orders and doing my best as a subject. How can I be compared with you who have fought on the battlefield?"

Mr. Li asked: "I heard that Mr. Shi was a Yue person and later came to Qin to follow the eunuch to build the Zhengguo Canal. He knows everything about the geography and customs of southern Xinjiang. I just wonder if you still have feelings for your homeland when you dug the Lingqu Canal?" This question was very tricky because the purpose of Zheng State building the Zhengguo Canal was well known.

Shi Lu laughed dryly and said, "Your Excellency, there are many tribes in southern Xinjiang, and there are constant disturbances. Only by unifying can we educate the people and relieve the sufferings of all tribes. This is the general trend of the times."

"The unification of the world is the general trend." Mr. Li continued: "Three hundred thousand soldiers of our Great Qin have been buried in the southern border. It seems that this is not an easy thing. If this southern expedition fails again, it will not be the general trend."

Ren Xiong said: "My Qin soldiers are not used to the climate and water, they are short of food and grass, there are constant plagues, and the army is demoralized. The Yue people use the jungle as a cover, poison and assassinate, wander and harass, and it is difficult for our main force to find their tracks. Because General Tu was careless, he was ambushed by the Yue coalition and died from a poisoned arrow. This caused our Qin army to be in chaos and was destroyed by them. Now that the two rivers are connected, food and grass can be transported by land and water, and the speed is three times faster than before. As long as we find the main force of the Yue coalition, we will make the Yue people pay with blood."

Mr. Li said: "The battle to conquer Yue is different from the battle to destroy the six kingdoms. Even if we have sufficient food and grass, and our army is ten times larger than the enemy, we may not be able to win, because the enemy will not be stupid enough to fight us. They can survive in the jungle for more than a year, but we can't. We can't afford it."

Ren Xiong asked, "Is there no point in fighting this war?"

"Yes, use Yue to govern Yue, use both kindness and severity, use inducement and benefits to guide, punish the strong and support the weak." After Mr. Li said this, everyone was silent and thought for a long time.

Shi Lu thanked him and said, "Sir, this strategy is brilliant. I would like to thank you on behalf of the people of Yue."

Zhao Tuo also thanked him and said, "I am also a Yue person, and I also want to thank you, sir. I will obey your orders!"

Ren Xiao said: "I am stupid, I don't know why you two want to thank you, sir?"

Shi Lu said: "Sir, this strategy has undoubtedly minimized the losses of the war, disintegrated the Yue alliance, and made the Yue people accept it, avoiding unnecessary sacrifices and preserving the tribe. As Yue people, this is what we want to see most. How can we not thank you for your great kindness?"

Ren Xiong said with a smile: "Since both of you say that your strategy is a good one, then I have no worries. I will follow your strategy and you will command all 300,000 Qin troops!"

Mr. Li said, "General, haven't you figured it out yet? General Zhao and Lord Shi have already had this strategy, but I just said it out loud. They are more familiar with Southern Xinjiang than we are, so it is safest to let them make the arrangements. His Majesty ordered me to come and supervise the army, but I am just a spectator. To take Southern Xinjiang, I still have to rely on you all."

Ren Xiao glanced at Cui Hongtao and said, "How dare I? If you don't have amazing talent, how could His Majesty use you so highly?"

Mr. Li said, "No need to compliment me. Please let Mr. Shi introduce the situation here!"

Shi Lu smiled and said, "Nothing can be hidden from your discerning eyes, sir." He clapped his hands, and two attendants carrying a large roll of cowhide came in from outside the cabin. The attendants spread out the cowhide in front of everyone. On it was a map of southern Xinjiang, with the areas where each tribe was located marked. When everyone saw it, they praised it endlessly.

Ren Xiao asked, "Since you have this map, why didn't you lend it to us earlier?"

Shi Lu said: "To be honest, when I drew this map, General Tu had already died in battle." In fact, everyone knew that Tu Sui killed innocent people indiscriminately and inhumanely in southern Xinjiang, which made the various ethnic groups of Baiyue hate him and unite to resist. As a Yue person, Shi Lu naturally refused to hand over the map.

Shi Lu pointed at the map and said, "This is where we are now. The area closest to us is Xizhen State. Although the state leader Yixu Song was killed by General Tu, there are still nearly 50,000 Yue soldiers hiding in the jungle, led by Jie Jun. Jie Jun is fierce and has amazing archery skills. General Tu was shot and killed by him. They should be hiding in this area now, forming a horn with Wenlang State here. Wenlang State has 100,000 soldiers. The state leader Xiong Wang is cruel and ruthless. He oppresses and occupies the surrounding tribes and threatens to help Ji Jie restore his country. The southern region is Nanyue, ruled by Lü Jia, with 50,000 soldiers. The eastern region is Minyue, with 50,000 soldiers and ruled by Wuzhu. Nanyue and Minyue are located behind Xizhen and Wenlang, and are often invaded by Wenlang. They have deep hatred for each other. It is only General Tu's improper strategy that has caused these four countries to temporarily unite to resist Qin. I think that if we unite these two countries and follow your advice, we can persuade them to submit to Qin. Then we can form a joint attack and eliminate Xizhen and Wenlang."

Mr. Li pointed to the map and asked, "Which country is this red area at the southernmost end?"

"Yuechang country, Queen Li Manfang, this country is all women, they are good at poison and witchcraft. Although it is a small place with a population of less than 10,000, it is a small country that cannot be provoked. The tribes in southern Xinjiang cannot afford to provoke it, and my Great Qin may not be able to provoke it either. This country is as famous as the Baiyue Gang of the Holy Mother of Cangshan in southern Xinjiang."

Mr. Li's eyes became deep under the mask, and he whispered, "Do you think His Majesty will believe this?"

……

There are many beautiful peaks and clear blue water. Every place is like a painting and every glance is new. Mr. Li sat at the bow of the boat, drinking green tea, and had a question in his mind: why didn't the Heavenly Palace bring this place to the sky?

The boat drifted freely in the Pearl River. In addition to his three disciples, there were more than a dozen sailors on board. These dozen sailors were all selected from the southern expedition army. They were all Yue people, who were most familiar with the local conditions and customs of southern Xinjiang. They were hand-picked by Shi Lu for Mr. Li to dispatch. They were now resting in the cabin. Three hundred thousand Qin troops were stationed in Cangwu, led by Ren Xiong and Zhao Tuo, and marched towards Wenlang Kingdom according to the established route. Mr. Li's mission this time was to sail south, unite Minyue and Nanyue, and disintegrate the Baiyue Alliance. In fact, this was a very risky action. Even if the four masters and apprentices had high cultivation, they might not be able to retreat unscathed in the face of tens of thousands of Yue people. But Mr. Li insisted on coming, and Ren Xiong and others could not dissuade him.

Some things require taking risks. Only in this way can one gain a firm foothold in the court and shut up those who doubt him. Moreover, this adventure is nothing compared to the path he will take in the future.

Since Ren Xiong and others got off the boat, except for these people on the boat, no Yue people were seen for three consecutive days. It was as if there had never been humans on both sides of the river. The wild beasts did not dare to show up and could only howl in the jungle.

This was a secret operation, and only a few generals knew about it, but Mr. Li knew clearly that someone must be secretly watching them, and when they broke into the ambush they had set, they would appear, and there might be a lot of them. This was inevitable, and since it was unavoidable, it was better to go ahead boldly, just like sightseeing.

The jungle had been silent for a long time and some people could not wait any longer. There was no wind, and the ancient trees on the towering mountains ahead were actually shaking slightly. The water flowed very fast on both sides of the mountains, and it was the only way to go.

Mr. Li returned to the cabin, but Jin Xingzi and Ling Kongzi left the cabin, and the boat continued to move forward.

"Teng, whoosh, whoosh..." Arrows, javelins, and stones suddenly poured down from the mountain peaks and hit the ship.

This was completely the Yue people's method of warfare. The arrows were fired from crossbows and were poisoned. The javelins were shot out using bent tree trunks with great force and the tips were also poisoned. The stones were thrown by several people working together, relying on the terrain and with a force of a thousand pounds. Even a team of hundreds of people would have no choice but to wait for death in the face of such a sneak attack and would not be able to survive, let alone just a boat.

"Wow, boom..." The water surface exploded instantly, creating layers of waves.

But what surprised the crowd was that none of the arrows, javelins, etc. they shot hit the ship. The ship, which was about to be smashed, miraculously avoided the attack.

The reason why the magnificent ship was able to avoid it was that it suddenly landed. The fact that the ship could land was beyond the imagination of those who attacked it, as the ship could sail on the ground. Their attacks all fell into the water.

The boat stopped at the shore, and a figure rose up, spread his wings, flew to the top of the mountain, and dropped a big black ball. No one knew what the ball was. With a "boom...", the people who were attacking heard the biggest boom they had ever heard before they could recover from their shock. The mountain tops also burst into flowers, and gravel flew and fell with a loud bang. The hidden forest turned into a slaughterhouse, and screams were heard one after another.

The boat was floating steadily in the river again. Half of the mountain was missing. The survivors, whose bodies were covered with green mud, looked at the boat in panic. No one dared to chase it. They were terrified by things they didn't understand. This boat was really weird.

Ling Kongzi asked: "Master, why don't you capture a few people and ask who sent them to attack us?"

Jin Xingzi rushed to say: "Is there any need to ask? They are now in the territory of Xizhen, so they must be from Xizhen."

Mr. Li shook his head slightly and said, "These people are not from Xizhen, but from Nanyue."

Jin Xingzi was puzzled and asked: "Why did the people of Nanyue come to attack us? Don't they welcome us?"

Mr. Li took a sip of tea and said, "How can they welcome us? We are invading. No matter whose land we land on, we will not be welcomed. But they are weak and are still waiting and watching. They don't know which side to rely on for their safety. If we meet Lu Jia, he will be forced to make a choice. He doesn't want to make a choice now. If we die in the territory of Xizhen, they will avoid contact with us and shirk all responsibility."

Ling Kongzi said: "Lü Jia is so insidious. Fortunately, Master had prepared for it. Otherwise, he would have died without knowing how. When I see him, I will make him suffer!"

Mr. Li sighed: "You can't blame him. No matter who sits in that position, they won't be too kind."

Jin Xingzi asked, "How do they know the purpose of our trip?"

Mr. Li said: "Because there are many people who want me dead."

Jin Xingzi asked, "Why do they want Master to die?"

"They feel threatened by my presence."

"Since they want to harm Master, why did Master take the risk here?"

"It scares them."

"So what if they are afraid of the Master?"

“When fear reaches a certain level, it becomes respect.”

……

(End of this chapter)